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COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION 1203 CITY HALL ATLANTA, GEORGI A YOUR iNfORM~l\OM MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION HEARING IN THE DIXIE HILLS AREA June 19, 1967 Hearing on Dixie Hills, Wednesday, June 19, 1967, EDA Center, 2193 Verbena St. The Executive Committee of the Commission met at the request of the Mayor. Present: CHAIRMAN: FIRST VICE-CHAIRMAN: SECOND VICE- CHAIRMAN: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Mr. Irving K. Kaler Rev. Samuel Williams Miss Helen Bullard Mrs. El iza K. Paschall Al s o pres e nt were Senator Leroy Johnson, Alderman Q. V. Williamso n , Re p. J. D. Grier, Rep. J.C. Daugherty, Mr. Cecil Alexander, Mr. Johnny Robinson, and Mr. E. L. Lowery, City Inspection Department. Mr. Kal er explaine d that the session had been called a t the reques t of the Ma yo r t o hear from reside nt s a bout the even ts of the pas t f ew days, a nd invited a nyon e t a s pea k. SPEAKERS : ( I n Or der ) Mr . Howard Watson 49 Shir l ey Pl ace Mr. Willie For dan 346 Wadley St. Mr. Charl e~· Weber Am. Frds. Se r. Mis s Dor othy Sh aw 2232 Verbena St. Mr s. Al bert Ford 2235 Verbena St. Mr. C.W. Smith 2261 Verbena St. Mr. Marion Wa rd 31 Shirley Pl. Mr. J erry Carlton 31 Shirley Pl. Mr s ~ V. ~ .Jackson 2150 Verbena St. Mr. William H. Furlow 2166 Vesta Ave., #B Mr. J ohnny Billingsley 2225 Verbena St. #5 Willie GlazE. 155 Wadley :: Mr. Howard Watson, the Youth Co rps Co-c hairman, was the first speaker. He expressE his complaints, and wha t he thought precipitated t he rioting was (1) inadequate play lots for the immediate area, ( 2 ) better treatments in the stores , (3) apartments, (4) police prutality, and (5 ) unpaved streets, with holes in them. The apartments are owned by private owners, and the owners should be made to repair the apartments, and rents are too high for the way they are unkept by the owners. Streets need paving, some large holes are in the middle of them. The sewage is very bad, when it rain, water floo-ds1Jp in the streets. He felt that the stares in the Center, should treat the children, as well as others with respect. The brutality is another factor for unrest - w~en tr.e official was arresting the girl they used brutality with her, and the people didn't want their women treated that way. The policemen seem to feel that the people in the low-income bracket, can be treated anyway, and talked to anyway. The rioting did not just stem from the trying to get recreation facilities, but mostly "police brutality". �Page 2 Minutes, Commission Hearing in Dixie Hills, ... ;' _ Wed., June 21st DOROTHY SHAW: She stated that her g r ievances, or complaints were (1) playlots for the children, (2) E.O.A. should have field trips for th e smaller children (3) the selling of beer and wine to our children in the store should be stopped (this complaint had not been formally reported to the authorities. BULLARD: (Question) Do you think that Mr. Carmichael's presence precipitated : this rioting? Do you think this would come about anywa y7 SHA W: The disturbance would come about sooner or later, mainly because our kids are on the streets. MARION WA RD: the man who was shot, treated, and released, stated that . he waited in the streets in o r der to help the fellow who was shot (later he died), After waiting on the police, he went to ge t his superior offccer ( the police), he never c a me back to help the othe r man. He told the Commission that he heard four ~ ots, that the officer pump the gun four times. That the man who threw the fire bomb ( Molotov Cocktail) was not near them. The Molotov Cocktail went ju~t a fe w f ee t in f ront of the officer who shot th e se people. He saw the police s t a rt to s hoot, the police was under a street light. He sta t ed that he could .i,dent i fy him if he sa\v him again. The other man ( who died) wa s just l y i ng in the str ee t s "fa c e down, a nd the bo y wa s n o t b leedin g , un l ess he was bleeding on the inside, both unattended. He stated that he was tre ated and relea s e d a t Grady's Hospital. The ambulance took about t wo hours to CtJme He said h e had sta rted to bleed again, that it was a bout 30 minute s aft e r he got to t he ho s pital b e for e he rec e ived a ny s e rvi ce. He was as ke d t o make a s t ateme n t t o detec t i v es be fo re he bega n to g e t service . There ar e no playlo ts for our chi ldren, is offe red f or them. ("I pay ~65.00 per He has t hre e crild ren hims elf , and tha t r o a c hes, ra t s, a n d o t her i n sec ts : th a t t the rent is t o o hi g h , and nothin g mo nth; no utilities a re i n cluded " ) t he a part me nts a re i n f es ted with he owne r s s ho uld g e t rid of. WI LL IA M H. FURLOW: Fee l s t hat pr u vio u s p roblems c a use this th i n g t o come to a point. Aft e r t h e riotin g he c a me b a ck to t h i s a r ea to ~e e what wa s ha ppen i n g, he fee l s that th is s it ua t ion c a me ab out b e cause o f th e br u tality o f th e po l i c e arrestin g o f t he gir l (G eorg ia) . Thi s commun i t y th is l a rge do not ne ed a J ew St o re , with pr i ces skyhig h , a nd l i tt l e q ua li ty . A community thi s s i ~e n eeds a s t o re l Lke A & P or o n e simila r. Th e cit~ s hou ld ma ke t he owners r e p a i r th e apart ment s. There are ho l e s in t h e wa l l, where c hild re n get i n to t h em t o p lay . Th is is da n gero u s . Al s o pla y lots are n eed e d f o r o u r ch i ld r en . WI LKIE J O~DAN: Get pr ope r t y o wn ers to fi x u p t he p r o per t y , kee p p l ace s cle an • Felt t hat if t he pol i c e me n we re to pa role t he area , it s hou l d be in s uc h a l a r g e q u anity , a nd not hara ss th e people. As long as th e p eople are trea t e d like peo p le, t he re will be pea ce. I f the o ffici a l s 8re me a n to t he m, th e y will c ont i nue to ga th er i n c ro wd s as s uc h . Th P- r R s h~ uld be an e f f o r t i f the poli cemen are needed t he y sho ul d b e n ~ l e tc

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th n rio t ing wa s: (1) when t l.e polic e u s e d brut i n a r rH~t i ~g tbe wcm~ , . A meeting was called o n Sund a y t o f i nd o u t t h e peop~d Jr i e v=n=e, an d to stop the pas t tro u bles of the community wit h t he security g uards, p l a y lots for our small child ren. He t ho ught th at t his thin g would come �Page 3 Minutes, Commission Hearing in Dixie Hills, VJed. , June 21st about eventually , even i f Mr. Carmicha e l did not come into the area. MRS. ALBERT FORD stated that these problems were here before this thing happen. She felt th a t the City transit gave good bus s ervice in the area. A bus comes in here every five minutes, and during the Xmas holidays, one came about every minute. The police brutality is not wanted in the area. The community decided that they will not shop at the store (Dixie Hill Store). She stated that, " We are not violent people", if some of the polic e is t a ken from the area, the people could go back to their normal way of living. Shes ys that she realize that a lot of people do not have respect for the law, but this comes from the brutality from the policemen • .•!KIE J ORDAN said that the people held a meeting that night, ( Mo nday) \v e called this meeting to he a r from t r1 e people their complaints. A commun i ty pr eacher made arrange ments as to where this meeting was to be held. Their complaints were as follo ws: (l) work, (2) the stores in the Center , (3) EDA, the y a 1e not helping the people with their problems, (4) Poor Sewage, (5) Play lots, and recreation are not doing what could be done with the apartment. We would like someone from the Cit 2 to guard this area as a re gular beat, someone who kno ws everyone. And the y should take a human-r e lations cour s e, similar to the one given in colleges. Then the ~ would know ho w to handle these people. Also EDA do not sho w to much in t erest to the people in the area, and are not r e ally giving a ssistance to them. The counselors do not take interest. MRS. ALBERT FORD: Police brutality is dr aw in g attention from the people . JER RY CAR LTON: The police a re not pr otect i ng the people , and they should be gotten out . He stated further that he saw the little boy who was shot , in the hospital, and tha t the kid wants to ki ll e very cop that comes i nto his s ig ht -- th a t this is the reaction a small c hild has f r om such br utal i ty - - - and that he is too young to think like that but the police a r e te achi ng hi this wa y because of the wa y they tr ea t people . The s ecu r ity guards are given a gun and a bad ge and that is th eir l i cense t o ki ll , or haras s an ~one th ey wa nt . Q. V. LJ ! LLI AN SON: "Th e on ly t hi n g the polic e a re t he re f or i s t o pro tec t l ife a nd prope r ty. If th e y ar e ta ken out now 1rJ hat wi ll hap pe n "? J OH1 JN Y BILLII\IGS LAY: "This c omm un ity onc e ha d a but t he city too k him a wa y, a nd ga ve us a no ther bully e ve ryo ne . He wa s rem ove d a ft er he s ho t a and the grill hir e d a Sec urit y Gua r d • The ma n Mr. Collier". 1 f ellow who was rea l nice , pe r son here who tri e d to ma n here . Then t he s tore who e veryon e liked was CH AIR ll-iAN: " Could this man be brought back to help us ~-.1 ith the pe a r .~'=' . a nd t he ir pro b l e ms"? 3 IL LING SLAY: " The on ly thing we want here is 'p eace '"· ._.YA RLES \iJEBSTE R, AFSC: " Cha irma n , I a yr ee with Mr . Billi11 ·_~ :o l a !, ~. ,,.-_; ' ·1 c, Carlton. Thi s c ommunity needs s omeon e who t he pe opJ. ·-i " ' ···' -:-;. :.1 -~:-,_",Js t." �Page 4 Minutes, Commissi9n Hearing in Dixie Hills lved., June 21st C. '. ! . Sr-1ITH: " ~Je have a number of complaints". He works 1-Ji th EDA as Area Block Chairman of their lighting committee. He states that they had a number of complaints, in addition to the other complaints, is proper lighting in the area. This complaint has been brought up before the proper auth o rities, but nothing has yet been done about it. VIRGINIA JACKS ON : Jorks with And Grson School's PTA, and talk to the boys in the area. The people here feel that the people with the EDA are better than them, the way they are treated. Since most of these people are not high-school graduates, they (EDA) in counselling them should tell these kids, not to expect to make a lot of money on the jobs that they are sent out on. Some of them have got ten into the training program, but this makes them frus tra ted, because if they have families, the salary they are given are not enough. The counselors should le t th e m know what is to be expected. HELEN BULLARD: "Some people will not res pect the policemen if the childre n are told that the policemen go about and beat up the people. What could be done about this"? VIRGI NIA JACKSON: "My suggestion is, as I tell my children, (and I have five) that whenever a polic e man urders y ou to do something, do it. If you are arrest ed go with them peacefully, wheter you are wrong or right. Then t his is when you exercise y .. ur ri g h ·cs by hiring a lawyer". CH/\ IR hA N: "If the City remov es the policemen from the a rea, will it make this area le s s disturbed"? VIRG W I A J ACKS ON: " 1Je don't ne e d anyone here, who cannot get order. The policeme n are causing di sorder." ~JILLIE GLAZE: " Some of the peo p le in the area feel that the people wh o the cops s hot ar~ eit her th , ;·i r frie nd ur relative". CHARLES B. HAR T: As ked what wo uld their re acti ,ns b e if Mr. Carmichael came back i nt o t h e area, o nc e the policemen are removed. Wo ld they be able to g uaran t ee anyone th at they wo uld not be motivated by his speec h es and riot aga in ? He also sta t ed that he is a volunteer worker wit h EDA, as an area r - p r e s e ntative, and that about thr e e months ago t hey expressed a desire f or a 11 good Guy 11 to p a :t r ol this area. \;Je h a v e not had f ul l cooperation with the community working with EOA. We h a d also tried to get the Cit y to c uild two playlots for our children. Mr. Hart is to submit a written report to t he committee on these e ff or+, s. 1 The me e ting wa s adjourned at 6:30 P . M. , in o rder to me et with th e Mayor a t Ci t y Ha ll . �